


Sauza: Dragon of the Stars

by loafie_star



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Cute, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fun, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29149152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loafie_star/pseuds/loafie_star
Summary: Sauza, a secluded, high ranking officer in the Planet Trade Organization (the Space Yakuza), is down on his luck and is banished, carrying a curse along with him. Unable to cut his ties just yet, he sets out on a mission to settle this ordeal. Along the way, he finds himself making friends with some (likely) people.
Kudos: 1





	Sauza: Dragon of the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I tweaked some of the characters personalities to go along with the mood of the story so I hope they won't be too OOC for your liking. It won't bother anybody, will it? I hope not. Another thing I'd like to mention is that ki use and control is more of a rarity in this AU. It's not a common thing for people to shoot ki waves and all that cool DBZ stuff. It still exists tho.

“I can't remember the last time I've felt happy. Or at the very least, even genuinely smiled. I'm stuck here on this damn spaceship floating who-knows-where all the time. Day in, day out, it's the same monotony of numbness and loneliness. But I guess that's what I get for choosin’ to live here. And for what?” The young man pulled out a cigarette and lighter, hoping to relieve himself from these same thoughts he dwells on everyday. In a disc-shaped spacecraft drifting among the stars, lies a syndicate which serves to conquer planets and sell them off to other, less fortunate extraterrestrials. They claim they're doing this to preserve the weak, so they won't tumble while developed, advanced races resume their selfish lives. But that's only contradictory, or simply hypocrisy. They already held too much power as it is. This “necessary evil” as they unabashedly title themselves to be, doesn't seem like it will be punished or stopped anytime soon.

Exhaling a puff of smoke, he exclaims, “I suppose this’ll carry on til I die.” A sad, lonely, unfulfilled death. Every day seems to drone on and on and on. Today is like any other day; he sits, researches, reports, and by the end of his shift, he isolates himself in his room. He resides in the same barren room as everyone else: containing a bed, a wardrobe, and a window. Though, everyone is allowed to decorate their rooms with souvenirs or memoirs of home, his room is just as he found it years ago. Sometimes he even numbs his sorrows, but this time he is sober. Too exhausted from a day’s work, the man keeps on his flashy, green suit, which bears a pin of the Cooler Alliance emblem. As uncaring as he's become of his own image, his jacket remains unbuttoned. His plain white dress shirt is buttoned only at the middle, revealing part of his chest and stomach. His pants are held up with frayed leather suspenders. Almost by coincidence, the ship flies near his home planet, Brench. He peers out the window, venturing into hypotheticals of what life would be like had he stayed. He wishes to go back, to reconcile, or maybe he just has a sentimental attachment that won't allow him to let go of his past. Tears form and caress his smooth, pale blue face. The planet was a blinding blue with thin horizontal streaks of yellow land. Fond memories shroud his mind when he used to venture about the square in his home village. But he had no positive feelings for his mother and father, however. They were wealthy officials who always pushed their son to become the model child. He remembers all of his tutors and how strict they were; he had no one to confide in. He was to be made into a bragging trophy as well as successor to his father’s position as Prime Minister. That was his only purpose. Brushing his fingers through his coarse blonde hair and fully unbuttoning his dress shirt, he drags his weary body over to his bed, instantly plopping down and sleeping like a log.

As he rests, a black void envelops him; it felt empty and cold. It was as though he was sinking deeper into darkness. But he saw a face at the end of the void; it was his baby sister. Or at least, she _was_ a baby the last time he saw her. But she was grown. The girl resembled him; she was beautiful with a tomboyish manner about her. But she wore a very noble dress reminiscent of their planet’s fashion. She had such a big smile on her round, blushy face. Her arms were stretched out to him. 

“Aeru-chan, I'm sorry for leaving you behind.” He headed towards her. No matter how many steps he took, the distance between them was immutable. Until he started sprinting.

As he was about to take one final step toward the girl, he stretched his arm out, wanting her to grab his hand. She retracted her arms, and her face formed to that of another. It was the devilish face of a woman he once loved, his fiancée. The mouth curled upwards, showing thin misshapen teeth, and her veiny eyes shifted back as far as they could go.

“Good to see you again, _dear Sauza_.” 

Just then, a beeping sound from his scouter jolted him awake. Reluctantly, Sauza puts all of his energy into his upper body just to reach it. After all, he would not want to ignore a call belonging to his leader. He accidentally knocks the scouter on the floor, and decides he’ll deal with a reprimanding later. The call drops, and Sauza flings his head back onto his pillow, staring at the ceiling. 

“It was just a dream,” he reassured himself. Another call came in. This time, he frantically leapt out of bed and pushed the button. “Sauza reporting for duty, sir,” he answered attentively in a groggy voice. 

“Yo, Sauza!” a rather high-pitched, boyish voice rang through. 

“Oh, Neiz, it's just you,” Sauza set a hand on his chest, so relieved it was not his boss.

“Did you forget about the meeting?” 

“Oh, right, I just remembered. When is it, again?” 

“Right now.” 

“What!? Why didn't you call me _before_ the meeting started?” Sauza hung up before Neiz could even answer, and shook his head. This was probably Cooler’s idea; he was a bit of a joker. Cooler often messed with his officers of any ranking; apparently, the reason is to keep them on their toes. He definitely has a serious side, but only shows it when he has been tremendously wronged or disrespected. Nonetheless, most of the officers were still afraid to joke around with him about anything because they didn't know what _could_ piss him off. 

Sauza immediately bolted down a series of hallways, all while buttoning his shirt, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair, before arriving at Cooler’s office. He was met with the eyes of his two colleagues and boss sitting at a long rectangular table in the center of the room. Behind it was a railing leading a set of double stairs into an area used for discussing coordinates and navigation. Within that area was a large window overlooking the vast expanse of space; it took up the entire wall opposite the entrance and was used as a screen for important calls. The side walls of the room had many built-in terminals and swivel chairs, but they were empty due to this meeting. The monotonous gray color scheme of the machinery was drowned out by the green illumination of the terminals’ screens. Decorating was not possible since these ships are intended to be a compacted, mobile headquarters; it was nothing compared to the floating palace which Chairman Cold possessed. Cooler did try to spice it up with a bright green carpet overlayed with a gold, gaudy intricate pattern. There was, however, a katana on display behind Cooler’s chair. It’s surmised that Cold gave one to both of his sons when they became leaders of their own organizations. 

“Ah, Sauza, welcome!” Cooler energetically greeted him, sitting at the head of the table. His purple, lizard-like tail swayed back and forth with glee. “I’m glad you could make it to the _tail end_ of our meeting _._ ” A sly smirk emerged from his dark lips.

Still panting, Sauza managed to catch his breath and straighten himself up. “Sir,” he began, sweat from the anxiousness running down his face, “I apologize for my tardiness. What is the subject matter of this meeting?” 

“Well, we have found a really good contender of a new sanctuary for the people of Zalt,” Sauza’s other colleague explained. He was a massive, gruff beast bearing a dark mossy green complexion. His silky, long black hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and the eye patch over his right eye gave him an intimidating look. Sauza raised an eyebrow.

“Doore, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Zalts are a race of amphibious creatures who inhabit an artificial planet of metal completely submerged in water, yes?” Sauza questioned in a single breath, exemplifying his cool nature when it came to his line of work. He was known for his ability to retain a vast amount of information without falter as well as fluent speech in over 7000 languages. It is for this reason that Cooler appointed him head of negotiations. 

As Sauza walked towards his assigned seat and properly settled himself, Doore answered, “Well, yes and no. The planet is composed of rock, but the Zalts recently began mechanizing large reservoirs and other metallic vacancies.” Sauza sneered at his own incorrect conjecture. Today does not seem to be his day; for one thing, he's never late for meetings.

“Th-that would be my people,” Neiz cut in with a raised hand, albeit rather shyly.

“And what's the problem with your planet, Neiz?” Sauza rhetorically asked, his orange eyes darted toward his teenage colleague. 

“The water of my planet has been dwindling due to a series of comets passing through its atmosphere, effectively vaporizing much of the water.” The blood orange alien looked down at the table. His pointy elf ears slumped down like a puppy dog, “I helped upgrade our underwater vicinities with large reservoirs so my people could last awhile even if our ocean completely dried out. But those will only last for so long. If this keeps up, my people will be erased forever. I'll be the only one left.” He tried his best to hold back any tears. 

Neiz is a 7 foot tall, Zalt recruited by the PTO during his planet's crisis. Cooler noted his technological ingenuity and enticed him by promising the deliverance of his people to a safer land, unbeknownst to the rest of the Alliance. Despite his authority as a high ranking officer with his own family, many are reminded that he's still just a kid with rather idealistic dreams. Although this time, it seemed like this particular dream was about to come true.

Sauza remained confused. Initially, he pondered as to why they were taking a roundabout way of explaining to him, but then he noted which planet they had just passed by yesterday. “No, no, wait. You meanー”

“That's right,” Cooler lifted up his arms, as if to relay a grand speech, “your home planet Brench will be their new home.” 

Sauza's eyes widened. He continued to look at his boss with a pleading eye. But the officer’s thoughts drifted to his planet; the only livable land was just several islands. The government actively restricts their population to accommodate land for only a small group of people, whereas the rest of the planet is covered in water. Sauza could see why it’s the perfect choice for the Zalts. But he still felt rather conflicted since he hadn't been to his home in years, yet he doesn't particularly long to go back. But now wasn't the time to think of that. He snapped out of it and asked, “Well, what about the twin planet?”

Cooler chuckled, “ _That_ Brench lies within my brother’s territory. Surely you should know that. Knowing my brother, he would not be up to trade or negotiate that. That’s business, Sauza.” Cooler leaned forward, elbows on the table. Clasping his hands together, he rested his chin on them. “Funny, isn't it? That these twin planets lie on the borders of our territories.” Brench was indeed comprised of twin planets which orbit each other. They were easily identifiable: one had red oceans and white land, while the other had blue oceans with yellow land. Confusingly enough, they were known by the same name, even though the inhabitants are dissimilar to each other. Red Brench is deemed barbaric by blue Brench, while the latter is seen as pompous, pretentious snoots. “Besides,” Cooler rested his hands on his sides and continued, “we've already given them enough time to think about it.”

“How long did you give them?” Neiz asked innocently, with genuine concern for Sauza’s people.

“10 years,” Doore responded with a deadpan expression. 

“And they’ve just been so stubborn,” Cooler added. He alien stood up and slowly walked back and forth, “I said I could accommodate them to a planet rich with scenery and valuable resources, and not to mention a substantial boost in _actual livable land_. Yet they choose to perish.”

Sauza shuddered at that last sentence. Cooler’s become very desensitized from all of this. Does he really not care about the families, the wildlife, any of that? Or maybe I'm the problem. I guess I'm still not as detached from my emotions as I thought. I've been doin’ the same things as him, yet now that it involves my own planet, I'm just being selfish, Sauza thought.

“Uhm, Sauza,” Cooler snapped his fingers. “Don't drift off to LaLaLand, we’re getting off schedule here.” 

Sauza jumped up. “I apologize! But sir, how can you do this without any remorse?” He protested, “Do you really not care about what happens to the people there? All the families separated or killed?”

“How long have you been working with me and you're just _now_ questioning morals? This is what we do.” Cooler’s expression turned serious and pointed a finger at his officer. “Do _not_ let your sentiment get in the way of your work. You're not special just because it's your home planet. Doore never complained about what happened to his planet, nor his own wife and daughter.”

“Then why does Neiz get this special treatment!? He doesn't seem any more deserving of this than I do!”

Cooler became exponentially annoyed by this statement. This sudden change in character in his otherwise emotionless officer was unexpected. Sauza usually kept to himself about his planet and his people. He rarely bragged or boasted either, and yet here he was fending for the preservation of his people. Did he really have any pride in them? Or maybe he just doesn't want to lose the one thing he can identify and connect himself with in this life.

“You're speaking out of line, Sauza,” Doore spoke up. He was often just as quiet as Sauza but only because he never liked wasting his breath talking with others, especially when he had nothing important to add to the conversation. “You see, Cooler _did_ promise them a planet to relocate to: **_Earth_ **. But they really have been uncooperative. We've tried several times to get them to accept our offer. Eventually, we gave up. Brench is now on call for the relocation of the Zalts.”

“Don't give me that bull,” Sauza growled in a low, rough tone. “I'm not going to sit here and be told that my people have no chance of salvation because you all were too inept to do your damn jobs correctly! Why was I not sent to do it, then? Why was I left in the dark?” 

The intensity of his voice was just enough for Cooler to reject all formalities and slam the table with his tail. “Sauza, that's enough, you spoiled brat! My word is final!” 

Sauza still didn't back down. He glared right into his boss’s eyes, exclaiming, “No! You answer me: Why does Neiz’s people get this special treatment but my own are treated like throwaways!? It's unfair!”

“Unfair?” Cooler’s eyes shone a blazing crimson. Books, papers, pens and other various objects slowly began to float up. “Maybe you've forgotten my act of kindness towards you when I saved you from becoming my depraved brother’s little slave. I'd say that's fair. I owe you nothing more, nothing less.”

The trio of officers struggled to maintain a firm balance once Cooler’s intoxicating aura creeped within the air. Their nerves numbed across their whole bodies. Cooler’s eyes followed Sauza as he dropped to the floor. “S-sir,” Sauza stammered in a soft voice, “forgive me. I just…”

In an instant, Cooler’s anger had subsided, but only because there was an incoming call. Neiz crawled over to display the call on the big screen. Cooler rolled his eyes the moment he met eyes with the opposite party. “Freeza…” is all he cared to say.

It was his younger brother bearing an irritated expression. He looked much like Cooler: slim body, three toed feet, a thick tail which tapers to a point, along with jewel-like structures on the top of his head and at the end of his limbs. Freeza had an all white body while Cooler was a deep purple with a hefty chest piece composed of bone and cartilage. But it was pretty obvious who the older one was, mainly by height but also by attitude & maturity.

“Cooler! What have you been doing for the past ten minutes?” his raspy voice complained. “I have been waiting for you to contact me about our meeting.” His face scrunched up so much that he appeared wrinkly. 

“Freeza, you never have any patience. It just so happens that I'm in an important meeting with my own men, and I've had a minor setback.” 

“I don't care what the setback is, just hurry up! No wonder Father appreciates me more,” the impish boy unnecessarily teased with such an irritatingly curled smile that even irked Cooler’s men.

“The preparations were already completed long ago, just tell your men to begin the procedure. I _really_ don't look forward to our meeting; I don't really care to know about the "discoveries" you've made. And _don't_ even bring Father into this. There are things he dislikes about you too, you know.” 

The trio understood little of what the brothers were talking about; they merely exchanged looks before watching the call end. It was obvious Cooler had not forgotten Sauza’s earlier hissy fit.

“Sauza!”

“Ha!” Sauza quickly stood, chills running down his spine.

“You're lucky my annoying brother interrupted this meeting, or else I would have…” Cooler trailed off for a moment before ending his sentence with, “snapped.” Sauza was still begging him for permission to do _something_ about Brench with just a pouty look. “Sauza,” he sighed, “I'm giving you _one_ chance to negotiate with your people. Go to Brench and see what you can do. I'm busy, I don't care what the outcome is, just let Doore know and he'll deal with it.” 

Sauza was positively elated. After letting out a massive open smile, he quickly corrected himself to stay composed and proper. “Thank you, sir! I will carry out my mission immediately.”

Cooler massaged his forehead; he’s been fed up with entitled young’uns since the day his spoiled brother tagged along in the family business.

* * *

Sauza headed over to the hangar to prepare his space pod. Like every other pod, it was very cramped with only room for one average sized adult. Although he was excited to finally return to his planet, there was a bit of nervousness covertly lying underneath. What do his people think of him, their intended leader? They have no idea where he is or what happened to him. Surely they'll lose all respect for him once they learn joined the yakuza. Also, the planet Cooler tried to negotiate with them: Earth. Sauza had done his research, the planet was the perfect choice for his people. What in the world was his father thinking by declining the offer?

“Oi, Sauza!” A familiar person ran down the corridor. It was Doore. “Hey, before you go, I’d like to talk to your about somethin’.”

Sauza turned to him. “Look, I already apologized to Ne-”

“No, not that. I meant about what happened to my family.” For once, Doore’s face softened. It was the first time Sauza had seen Doore without his constant angry face. Somehow, he actually appeared fatherly. “I was looking forward to taking my daughter and sweetheart to Earth for a better life.”

Sauza’s eyes widened, “The same planet?”

Doore’s brows furrowed, “Yes. At the time, I was in the same situation as you. There was no way to save my family because the authorities of my planet were stubborn. You'd think they'd care more about helping their people, but they went on about pride and never backing down. That's just the kind of people we were. Nevertheless, you'll only be disobeying Cooler if you try to save only your family. It's not an easy choice to make, I know.” Doore placed a hand on Sauza’s shoulder, “Please, just don't do anything stupid.”

“I won't.” Sauza firmly gazed into Doore's eyes, grasping his colleague's arm. They both nodded and Sauza continued preparing for his little trip.

He's just a kid, Doore thought. He deeply cares about his people, more so than he likes to admit.

At this point, Sauza already made up his mind. He's accepted the reality that there's no hope for his people surviving because they really are stubborn. All he wanted was to see a familiar face one last time. The door to the pod closed, Sauza waved to Doore, and headed off to Brench.

“Earth, huh?” Sauza spoke to himself. His face falls, “I'd like to go there someday...”

* * *

The travel to Brench was estimated to take about 30 minutes to reach. Cooler still had many of the older tech models compared to Freeza. They run slower, guzzle down too much fuel, and replacing them would cost such a big fortune that even Cooler gets queasy just considering the price. He certainly envied and despised his brother for his father’s “special” treatment of him. 

Sauza folded his arms and rested his eyes. He thinks back to the day he had left his home. He was a teenager. At the time there was a heavy thunderstorm, which consequently kept Sauza awake and restless. He stared out his window and noticed some foreign spacecraft nearby. He went to notify his parents, but then he noticed a bit of light emanating from his father’s wine room. It was a place where the Prime Minister often brooded. There was a single flame in the fireplace as the only source of light in the room. He recognized his father’s silhouette but there was a strange figure speaking to him. Both were sitting down, and spoke almost to a whisper. The pitter-patter of rain against the windows and the pounding of thunder drowned out their voices. They had been conversing until it was almost daybreak, and the figure promptly shook his father’s hand and departed. Sauza pursued the stranger. If there was one thing to take away from this person, it's that they could fly. A power not seen on his planet nor its neighbor. This was definitely the sign that there was much more out there in the vastness of space. He managed to reach the space ship. There was a rendezvous party and the figure was being escorted back into the ship. A set of stairs opened up from the underbelly of the spacecraft. Without thinking, he quickly hopped into the ship and stowed away. Sauza sought adventure, hoping to learn new information, new powers from faraway lands. But that was a big mistake. This led to his time spent in the Yakuza up until now.

Sauza’s train of thought was abruptly interrupted when his pod landed. The crater crumbled a small crop field. He was glad to get out of the pod and stretch his arms, legs, and crack his back. He did note that it wasn't quite as cramped as his co-workers made it out to be.

Everything is the way it was 7 years ago. Wandering through the destroyed crop field, he marveled at how his people were still managing to live. Tripping over a little fence, he accidentally fell and crushed a small flower garden. Suddenly he heard shouting directed at him, “Hey, you! Whaddaya think yer doin to my flowerbed.” The angered old farmer ran towards him with a pitchfork. “And look at what you did to my field!” The pod did land right smack in the middle of her farm.

“Calm down, miss. It was an honest mistake.” 

The farmer immediately stopped. A young Brench man from outer space? “Wait a minute, I recognize you. You-you're the Prime Minister’s son. The one who disappeared.”

 _Crap_ , Sauza thought. She's onto me. I better just hurry and get to Father. Sauza booked it out of there as quickly as he could. 

“Gosh, that was close. I'm already pressed for time.” Soon, he saw his father’s estate over the horizon. “There it is! I don't know why I landed so off course in the first place.”

It's been so long since Sauza had to use proper etiquette. He knocked three times on the front door. He hears an aged voice on the other side asking, “Who is it?” He waves towards the peekhole, and immediately a maid swings the door open.

“Master Sauza!” The old lady was ecstatic. She couldn't believe her eyes, and struggled to find any words. 

“I'll just let myself in.”

“Yes, young master. And lemme get you out of those clothes; I'll prepare a bath.” The woman approached him to take off his coat, ”My, look how skinny you’ve become! I shall prepare some food as we-”

He held a hand up to stop her, “That won't be necessary, ma’am. I just want to see my father.”

“As you wish, young master. Follow me upstairs. He’s in a meeting with the island ambassadors, and you know how he hates to be interrupted when he's busy.”

“Oh, I know all too well, ma’am,” Sauza reassured. The maid continued on talking about who-knows-what. Sauza responded with a few “Uh-huhs,” along the way, though he wasn't _really_ paying attention. Now upstairs, they walked past many rooms. One of the doors was cracked open, and a lovely piano could be heard playing. He stopped at the door where the music originated from, and he spotted his sister with her teacher hovering over her. She wore a pastel pink Lolita dress. On her torso, the dress had multiple criss-crossed ties loosely secured, which opened up to a white fluffy camisole underneath. A purple sash wrapped around her small waist, and a dark transparent piece was tight around her neck, upper chest and eventually flowed out into short, poofy sleeves. Her forearm length gloves and knee high boots were both snow white.

She was visibly exhausted, barely keeping her composure. The teacher was giving his criticisms and advice whilst tapping a stick on his hand. As soon as the lesson ended, the teacher said his farewells, packed his things, and headed for the door. Sauza didn't have a very good reaction time. Flinging open the door, the teacher stopped dead in his tracks.

“Miss Binai, who is this street rat?”

The maid shot a worried look at him, “Watch your tone! This is the Prime Minister’s son. He's returned after all these years.”

The piano teacher’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he dropped to the floor, bowing in a most flamboyant manner.

“Cut the crap, man, I don't care about your fake apologies.”

Loud gasps came from the two adults as well as his sister in the distance. “Young master, those are foul words! What happened to your manners?”

“Oh, they're still with me, but I don't waste my time with a man who insults another simply based on his looks.” Sauza promptly picked up the teacher by the collar and his belt, kicked open a window, and tossed him out into some bushes. The teacher lifted up his tattered britches and hot-footed it out of there, with a few twigs stuck in his hair and clothes. The two ladies were at a loss for words.

“Miss Binai, I'd like to wait in here until the meeting’s over.” He promptly sat down on a sofa, crossing his legs and folding his arms.

“Y-yes,” she nodded and closed the door on her way out. As she headed down the hallway, she could be heard muttering, “I can't get a moment's peace around here.” 

The little girl was still seated at the piano, peering at Sauza. His eyes darted right at her, causing her to scoot back a little. His seemingly mean glare softened and he let out a warm smile. “A-are you _really_ my older brother?” she pondered. 

“Yes. I apologize for the scene I caused. Chucking people out of windows isn't a very good example, is it?”

Aeru chuckled a bit, “Well, he sure deserved it. That man is awful. Just like the rest of the adults around here.”

“Good. I'm glad you can tell when a person is rotten. That way, you won't feel bad punishing them for their actions and behavior.” Sauza paused for a moment and looked around the room. There were many paintings along the walls, no doubt very expensive ones. But then his eyes landed on one of their family. 

Aeru spoke up, “You know, Mother passed away a few years ago.” Sauza had a concerned expression on his face. Aeru continued, “They say she died from some unknown illness, but it’s obvious she was just heart broken. She rarely ate, she stopped sitting in my lessons, and soon after she lost all her energy. She no longer smiled, not even when she saw me. None of the doctors were helpful, and Father didn't even bother to comfort her either.”

It was quiet for a few minutes. Silence crept into the room until it grew too apparent. Sauza rested his arms on his thighs, leaning his face into his cupped hands. Eventually, Sauza responded, “I'm to blame for that. I never should have left.”

“You mean, you left of your own volition? Not because you were taken away or anything?”

“Yes.” He looked at his feet, tapping his right foot. “I was about your age, except I was a stupid boy looking for adventure. I didn't think about how it would affect everyone else. I was selfish. I was tired of my life here, I was unhappy; that's why I ran away.”

Aeru stood up and walked towards Sauza. Putting her little hands on his face, she studied him. “You've really changed a lot. At least, from what I can remember of you. When Mother passed, Father became much harsher and the tutors stricter. And I've been so alone.” She took off one of her white, forearm length gloves, revealing multiple bruises on her arm. Sauza swiftly but gently grabbed her arm to inspect it. “I cover these up as much as I can. Father says it's not good for our image.”

Once again, no words had been spoken. Aeru could feel the pure rage burrowing inside her brother. Though his expression had not changed, his mood certainly did. He put back on her glove. “What good is a father if he doesn't bother to care for his children?” Sauza questioned. He remained motionless for a few moments. “I have a bit of a crazy idea.”

“What is it?” his sister asked with understandable confusion.

Several footsteps and murmuring voices grew closer before becoming distant as the commotion shifted underneath them. “The meeting must be over,” Aeru surmised. “You don't want to keep Father waiting.”

“F*** that.” Sauza held Aeru close to him. She was probably about to comment on his foul language, but he covered her mouth.

Miss Binai’s voice approached the room. Sauza had made up his mind already and acted quickly. “Young master, your father is now availabー” she cut herself off, and searched about the room. “Oh dear.”

“Miss Binai, who was it that wanted to see me?” the Prime Minister appeared behind her.

“Oh, uh, I’d say it was someone important but they've left already.”

He pondered for a moment “Hm? I can't think of anyone aside from the ambassadors. Well, if the person ever shows up again, just let me know.”

“Of course, sir,” Miss Binai said, bowing as he walked back to his room. “Now where in the world did that boy go? And...where’s Aeru?”

* * *

Carrying Aeru in one arm, and a hand digging in his pocket for hus scouter, Sauza sprinted back to his pod. “ _This_ is your plan!?” Aeru yelled.

“Don't worry, it'll get better.” Adjusting the scouter, he scrolled through his contacts. Finally finding the right person, he hit the dial button. 

Not long after, the person on the receiving end answered, “Hello, Sauza, how'd your outing go?”

“Oh, it was marvelous, Neiz. Now listen, I'd like to ask for a favor, no questions asked.”

Without a second thought, Neiz jumped into action. “Of course! What do you need, bro?”

“You know those large metal barrels we use to store food and such? I'd like you to get an empty one for me. Ahem, preferably a clean one, please.”

There was now audible concern in Neiz’s voice. “Wha? Why in the world would youー”

“Please, Neiz, hurry! I promise I'll play a few rounds of your _video games_ with you.” 

“Alright then, I’ll meet with you in the hangar. You’re gonna be surprised at what’s going on here.”

Sauza didn't quite have time to process what Neiz said because he arrived at the farm. And suffice to say, he didn't want to have another run in with the farmer. Spotting the large crater from his pod, he hopped over the crushed, damaged crops. Sliding down the crater, he shifted his hold on Aeru to that of a mother with her baby.

“Okay, Neiz, I’ll see you in a few.” Sauza hung up and opened the pod.

“What the? No way I'm getting in there. It's too small!” Aeru whined.

“Aeru, we don't have much time, alright? It'll only be for half an hour.” 

“What!? That’s a pretty long time to be cramped!” 

Sauza wasn't having it. He rolled his eyes and seated himself in the pod with Aeru in his lap. His sister huffed and puffed until she accepted her situation. 

Aeru’s dissatisfaction subsided as she marveled at the view of space. Bright stars of a myriad of colors were splattered all across the black void, giving it life. She could even see distant galaxies and novas much better than she could on Brench. “Woah. So you've been traveling across these stars, huh?”

Sauza smiled at his sister’s enjoyment. “Yep. Though it does get pretty boring after awhile. Same old, same old to me.”

“How? This view is amazing! I've always wanted to see what lies beyond our home. I knew it was possible, I just didn't know how to get there.”

“Well, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you do now.”

Cooler’s ship came into view, Freeza’s ship as well. They were connected via a bridge latching onto large doors on the sides. Their only purpose was for other ships to rendezvous with one another, usually to refill supplies. Sauza recalls Cooler and Freeza alluding to something during their meeting earlier. But their ship recently refueled on supplies. It’s only a call away, why in the world would they need to meet in-person? Detecting an incoming pod, the door to the ship’s hangar opened. Sauza gradually decreased the speed of his pod and a claw-like contraption grasped the space pod. Aeru fumbled about the pod due to the abrupt halt. Good thing the interior of the pods have built-in padding or else she probably would have broken a bone.

At last, they safely returned to the ship. Before stepping out. Sauza checked to see if anyone was nearby. Surprisingly, only Neiz and a few others were at their posts. “I got the barrel like you asked for.” 

“Thanks, Neiz you’re a real lifesaver.”

Neiz’s eyes became huge. “Who isー”

“Shh! Just stick with me!” Sauza assured Neiz. Sauza spoke in a whisper, “Now, Aeru-chan. You’ll have to hide a little while longer. I promise you’ll be out in no time.” Aeru was apprehensive but nodded as she crouched down into a fetal position inside the barrel. 

“So, how are we gonna get her, er, _the_ _barrel_ to your room?” Neiz questioned.

“Easy, I’ll just roll it.”

“No!” a tiny muffled voice from the barrel protested.

“Okay, then. I’ll carry it.”

Sauza thought it’d be a simple task, but the barrel was heavier than he anticipated, or maybe it was his sister that made it heavy. As he headed out of the hangar, he saw many men and women he didn’t recognize. 

_Oh no_ , Sauza thought, Freeza’s men are gonna be all over this place. I better tread carefully.

He managed to make it down the corridor with Neiz in tow, but he had to dodge a bunch of Freeza’s logheads along the way. Next, he had to walk halfway through the inner circular hallway over to his room. As he crept through the passageway, a familiar voice called out from behind, “Good to see you again, dear Sauza.” 

Sauza stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly. “G-Ginyu…” His face turned pale.

  
Ginyu was known as _The Immortal._ It was a rather pretentious name, but he gained this title because of his ability to change bodies. This intimidated many. Ginyu often switched bodies with those of his own Yakuza family, usually to pull tricks and pranks on them. But some of his more serious work involved using another's vessel and identity for _other_ schemes: blackmail, assassination, gathering info. And he's very good at copying a person's mannerisms, personality, their way of speech, and so on, that it's no longer easy to tell who the real Ginyu even is. More time goes into his work than anybody realizes. Having to observe and perfectly replicate a person and their own personal isms is not an easy task. No one can place an age on him either. But one thing was for sure, he had no remorse. Living through a plethora of lives, people often wonder how Ginyu doesn't grow bored. Surely he's done it all, seen it all. However, to Ginyu, this was all a game to him, the game of life. And he didn't intend to stop anytime soon. It's too much fun.

“Uhm, I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t stop for a chat right now. I’m in a hurry.” Without even looking back, Sauza ran off.  
Neiz passed by Ginyu with a quick peace sign and left with a compliment, "Nice new body, sir!"

They finally made it. Sauza immediately shut the door once Neiz had walked in. Both men turned around and their eyes met their older colleague, Doore. Seated on Sauza’s bed, he wore a face of contempt with his arms folded. “What do you two think you’re trying to do?” Sauza and Neiz shot each other worried glances. The young men let out loud gulps, with streams of sweat running down their faces. Getting up, Doore said, “Alright. Just show me what you got in there.”

Defeated, Sauza gently placed the barrel on the ground. Doore twisted the top off. Aeru stood up, letting out a huge exhale. “Yow! I could barely breathe in there! Oh, who are you?” She observed the room and the new faces. 

Neiz twiddled his thumbs while Sauza gave Doore a pouty look. “Don’t tell the boss, please,” Sauza begged.

“Sauza, I told you _not_ to do anything stupid. This is exactly what I was referring to. I would have tried the same thing, but I don’t think I would have even gotten this far. I hope you realize there’s no going back, now. Do you even know how you’re gonna go about this?”

Sauza attempted to keep a cool composure. “Chill, chill, Doore. Don’t worry about it. I made this decision and I’ll deal with it myself, okay?” Sauza lifted his sister out of the barrel, and dusted her off. Sauza petted Aeru and gave her a quick hug. “Unless, you guys would be up to the task of helping me take care of her. It’s alright if you say no, but I really could use some help.” Sauza was doubtful of Neiz because he too was still a child. As for Doore, he most likely did not want any part of this, especially because he disapproves of Sauza’s actions. Still, he hoped the guilt trip would work.

Doore and Neiz both exclaimed in unison, “Yes!”

Sauza’s face lit up. “You guys really are up to it? I thought you wouldn’t want anything to do with this.” Well, at least there wasn’t any hassle or arguing involved.

Neiz was nibbling his finger, studying Aeru. “You know, I didn’t get a good look at you before. You’re very much like your brother.”

“And what does that mean?” Aeru wondered, clinging to her brother’s shirt.

“Well, uhm, I’m not really sure. The short hair, maybe?”

Sauza, Doore, and Aeru facepalmed.

“Well, I for one would not abandon a child. Even though you’re trying to pull off a stunt this ridiculous, I can’t just turn away from her. She reminds me of...” Doore trailed off. He had that soft, fatherly look again. 

“I finally have someone to play games with me!” Neiz perked up. His ears pointed up with joy, and his pupils dilated.

“Games? What kind?” Aeru bounced up and down, tapping her palms together. 

Sauza spoke up, “Uhm, I hope you guys realize that people will become suspicious if we stay in my room the whole time Freeza’s here. One of us will have to stay and watch Aeru, though."

All three men nodded. Neiz decided to stay behind. He’ll catch up on his work tomorrow; Cooler wouldn’t mind, since he’s one of his most diligent workers. Technically, most officers had little to do while the brothers were in their conference. Those who were working were engineers, cooks, and bartenders. Doore headed off toward the bar, and Sauza sauntered about the ship. He made sure no one he knew was following him, and then he darted off toward Freeza’s ship. 

I’m familiar with the layout, he thought. I wonder if there’s something on Freeza’s ship that might possibly connect to this odd in-person meeting. Cooler mentioned some sort of discoveries Freeza's made. Discoveries of what? I remember the lab strictly being off limits even for a person of my rank in the clan. Every other area was open, except there. Very rarely did people see the lab staff, and they were careful to avoid speaking about their work. Why keep secrets within their own clan? No doubt Freeza’s been cookin’ up something nefarious there. Cooler has always wanted to keep out of his brother's sight because of how amoral he is towards anyone he views as beneath him, even as a child. Cooler seemed fairly apprehensive about their meeting as well. Anyway, I got bigger things to worry about; if I get caught trespassing, who knows what Cooler or Freeza will do to me.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an abrupt end, I know. I kept going and didn't know when to stop. There might be too much info in this chapter but I don't want to have more than, like, 5 chapters; this might actually be a bad thing for the pacing but I'm not a good writer (bear with me, please). Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for stickin around. I just really love Sauza. Not a lot of people care for him or his buddies, so I don't expect anyone to really bat an eye at this. I got rather lazy about halfway through so I apologize if the quality dipped or fluctuated (or if it's garbage overall lol).


End file.
